I prepared this list using An Encyclopedia of Role-Playing Games. The following is every game I can remember having played from that site, with which editions of the game they were.
Pre-1975:
Chainmail
Dungeons & Dragons (online only)
1976:
Bunnies & Burrows (online only)
Metamorphosis Alpha (online only)
1977:
Dungeons & Dragons
1978:
Advanced Dungeons & Dragons
Gamma World
1980:
Dungeons & Dragons
1982:
Star Frontiers
1983:
Dungeons & Dragons
James Bond 007
1984:
Dungeons & Dragons (companion set)
Marvel Super Heroes
Middle Earth Role Playing
Paranoia
Toon
1987:
Star Wars
Top Secret
1988:
Marvel Super Heroes
Rocky and Bullwinkle RPG
1989:
Advanced Dungeons & Dragons
Call of Cthulu
Champions
1990:
Buck Rogers: XXVc (computer game only)
Pendragon
1991:
Amber Diceless Role-Playing
1992:
Call of Cthulu
Star Wars
1993
Elric!
1994
Castle Falkenstein
1996
Ars Magica
Deadlands: the Weird West
1998
Kobolds Ate My Baby!
Marvel Super Heroes Adventure Game
1999
Ironclaw
Lejendary Adventures
2000
Dungeons & Dragons
2001
The Dying Earth RPG
Ninja Burger: the Role-Playing Game
2002
Silver Age Sentinels
2003
Dungeons & Dragons
2008
Dungeons & Dragons
2009
Swords & Wizardry (online only)
Monday, February 27, 2012
Sunday, February 26, 2012
Rpol Hideouts & Hoodlums Campaign - pt. 20
[There are some glaring gaps here in Alpha-Woman's solo outing on the second floor. We mostly played that out over the phone instead of on the message boards, so I have no record of it now. The battle for the entryway was a long, difficult one for the heroes mainly because they seemed unable to win initiative through the whole thing.]
The Mountain Man now saw no reason for subtlety. He charged forward, swinging his hatchet around his head then brought it down like a rock fall on one of the mobsters.
The Daoist followed Mountain Man's lead, charging in behind him, while transforming into a warthog once more.
The Mountain Man and a warthog that had been the Daoist charged the gunmen, but the gunmen had the drop on them. One of them took aim at the warthog and shot, but the warthog was on him too fast and the bullet sailed out the front door. The other gunman up front waited for the Mountain Man to close with him and took a swipe with his rifle butt and landed a glancing blow.
Captain Liberty and Sewer Rat moved more slowly into the temple and were met by the two truncheon-wielding men in the side corridor. Capt. Liberty pushed his foe back, but Sewer Rat was not so fast and took a serious blow to his noggin that left him a bit dazed.
The Daoist threatened with his tusks, but failed to get around that gun. What the mobster did not realize was that the Daoist was merely herding him into the Mountain Man's hatchet. He kept up the work, giving them two choices, his tusks or his friend's blade. The Mountain Man was faster with his foe, getting off a good hit with the blunt end of his hatchet right on his foe's forehead and taking him down.
Capt. Liberty was still on the defensive, holding back blows instead of being able to land his own. Sewer Rat was not any better off.
And all the while, they heard gunshots from the rooms above them.
Alpha-Woman heard gunshots downstairs while she was upstairs fighting other mobsters.
The Mountain Man's body took on a rough appearance and actually seemed to become a moving mass of boulders and rocks roughly shaped like The Mountain Man. All the while the light shone off of the golden gorget the Mountain Man wore. He swung his axe at the next mobster behind his last opponent.
Captain Liberty kept pressing back these church-going villains and looked for something lying around to use as a weapon against them.
The gunshots ended upstairs at the same moment another mobster gripping a revolver in his hand came down the ladder behind the two mobsters Captain Liberty and Sewer Rat were fighting.
The Mountain Man could see more mobsters waiting in the chapel, but concentrated on dealing with the remaining two in front of him. He turned to strike the one being goaded towards him by a warthog, but before he could swing his axe he got a rifle butt to the stomach from the mobster in back who stepped forward to engage him. Though his outer body was like boulders, he felt like there would be a nasty bruise there when he changed back later.
The Daoist's opponent gave up on getting the barrel of his rifle between himself and the warthog that kept pressing up into close quarters, so the man simply turned his gun around and used it as a club. He brained the Daoist with a blow on the head that made the room spin a little. He recovered fast enough, though, to scrape his foe with a tusk.
Captain Liberty was still on the defensive, slapping that truncheon away from his attacker.
Sewer Rat was brained again with the truncheon of his foe and saw stars as he went down.
Captain Liberty saw his comrade go down next to him and realized he would have to fight much harder here. Unfortunately, his number of foes had now doubled and he was having even more trouble regaining the offensive.
The Mountain Man brought down his axe against his new foe, but his foe parried with his rifle. Inscrutable like the distant hills, he showed no sign of injury. He struck again with his hatchet.
Alpha-Woman, having eluded her combatants upstairs, changed into another outfit in the bedroom she had found and hoped it would allow her to move through the temple with less suspicion.
Hoping that a display of power might put some fear into their foes, the Daoist transformed from a warthog back into a slithering snake and lashed at the injured mobster.
The Daoist's transformation must have spooked the mobster he was fighting because the man screamed, danced around, turns his rifle around, and shot at the floor so quickly that he did not even come close to hitting.
The Mountain Man struck quickly with his hatchet, keeping his opponent off-balance but unharmed.
With Sewer Rat down and no one to watch his flank, Captain Liberty was quickly being overwhelmed as the three mobsters in front of him surged forward, clubs flailing. His legs were wobbling and the room was spinning, but he struggled to hold on so liberty could yet prevail.
In snake form, the Daoist curled around his opponent's feet and tripped him. The man's head hit the ground hard and he did not get back up.
The Mountain Man kept swinging his hatchet, driving his foe back.
Capt. Liberty kept swinging, but could not even tell if he was connecting or not. He just keeps fighting, because America would never give up.
The Mountain Man and the Daoist, doing better against their foes, pressed them back and entered the chapel proper.
The Mountain Man now saw no reason for subtlety. He charged forward, swinging his hatchet around his head then brought it down like a rock fall on one of the mobsters.
The Daoist followed Mountain Man's lead, charging in behind him, while transforming into a warthog once more.
The Mountain Man and a warthog that had been the Daoist charged the gunmen, but the gunmen had the drop on them. One of them took aim at the warthog and shot, but the warthog was on him too fast and the bullet sailed out the front door. The other gunman up front waited for the Mountain Man to close with him and took a swipe with his rifle butt and landed a glancing blow.
Captain Liberty and Sewer Rat moved more slowly into the temple and were met by the two truncheon-wielding men in the side corridor. Capt. Liberty pushed his foe back, but Sewer Rat was not so fast and took a serious blow to his noggin that left him a bit dazed.
The Daoist threatened with his tusks, but failed to get around that gun. What the mobster did not realize was that the Daoist was merely herding him into the Mountain Man's hatchet. He kept up the work, giving them two choices, his tusks or his friend's blade. The Mountain Man was faster with his foe, getting off a good hit with the blunt end of his hatchet right on his foe's forehead and taking him down.
Capt. Liberty was still on the defensive, holding back blows instead of being able to land his own. Sewer Rat was not any better off.
And all the while, they heard gunshots from the rooms above them.
Alpha-Woman heard gunshots downstairs while she was upstairs fighting other mobsters.
The Mountain Man's body took on a rough appearance and actually seemed to become a moving mass of boulders and rocks roughly shaped like The Mountain Man. All the while the light shone off of the golden gorget the Mountain Man wore. He swung his axe at the next mobster behind his last opponent.
Captain Liberty kept pressing back these church-going villains and looked for something lying around to use as a weapon against them.
The gunshots ended upstairs at the same moment another mobster gripping a revolver in his hand came down the ladder behind the two mobsters Captain Liberty and Sewer Rat were fighting.
The Mountain Man could see more mobsters waiting in the chapel, but concentrated on dealing with the remaining two in front of him. He turned to strike the one being goaded towards him by a warthog, but before he could swing his axe he got a rifle butt to the stomach from the mobster in back who stepped forward to engage him. Though his outer body was like boulders, he felt like there would be a nasty bruise there when he changed back later.
The Daoist's opponent gave up on getting the barrel of his rifle between himself and the warthog that kept pressing up into close quarters, so the man simply turned his gun around and used it as a club. He brained the Daoist with a blow on the head that made the room spin a little. He recovered fast enough, though, to scrape his foe with a tusk.
Captain Liberty was still on the defensive, slapping that truncheon away from his attacker.
Sewer Rat was brained again with the truncheon of his foe and saw stars as he went down.
Captain Liberty saw his comrade go down next to him and realized he would have to fight much harder here. Unfortunately, his number of foes had now doubled and he was having even more trouble regaining the offensive.
The Mountain Man brought down his axe against his new foe, but his foe parried with his rifle. Inscrutable like the distant hills, he showed no sign of injury. He struck again with his hatchet.
Alpha-Woman, having eluded her combatants upstairs, changed into another outfit in the bedroom she had found and hoped it would allow her to move through the temple with less suspicion.
Hoping that a display of power might put some fear into their foes, the Daoist transformed from a warthog back into a slithering snake and lashed at the injured mobster.
The Daoist's transformation must have spooked the mobster he was fighting because the man screamed, danced around, turns his rifle around, and shot at the floor so quickly that he did not even come close to hitting.
The Mountain Man struck quickly with his hatchet, keeping his opponent off-balance but unharmed.
With Sewer Rat down and no one to watch his flank, Captain Liberty was quickly being overwhelmed as the three mobsters in front of him surged forward, clubs flailing. His legs were wobbling and the room was spinning, but he struggled to hold on so liberty could yet prevail.
In snake form, the Daoist curled around his opponent's feet and tripped him. The man's head hit the ground hard and he did not get back up.
The Mountain Man kept swinging his hatchet, driving his foe back.
Capt. Liberty kept swinging, but could not even tell if he was connecting or not. He just keeps fighting, because America would never give up.
The Mountain Man and the Daoist, doing better against their foes, pressed them back and entered the chapel proper.
Friday, February 24, 2012
Castle Greyhawk : the Graphic Novel - pg. 2
[I love how Mike improved on my script for this page, particularly panel 2. Enjoy!]
Monday, February 20, 2012
Rpol Hideouts & Hoodlums Campaign - pt. 19
[I don't normally fudge things much as a DM/Editor, but I was dangerously close enough to a TPK at this point that I did...]
The Daoist assumed the form of a mountain lion once again and pounced on the apparently rather capable guard, hoping to catch him unaware.
Dice Morgan and the Daiost had the lone gunmen cornered in the east tower. The gunmen seemed so despondent over shooting Silver Scorpion that he might have surrendered. When they both moved to attack him, however, the man snapped back into action. He blocked Dice’s attempt to stiff-arm the guy in the chest and then tried to bring his own rifle up to shoot. The Daoist, though intimidating in mountain lion form, could not get into close quarters with Dice stepping in the way. The three-way jostling for room in the cramped interior soon ended with this incredibly lethal killer -- with two notches on his belt already – managing to raise his gun between himself and Dice and firing a bullet that grazed Dice's temple and knocked him unconscious. Dice fell onto the mound of fallen heroes.
"So far, there have only been a few gunshots,” the Mountain Man was saying, just as the shot that felled Dice rang in the distance. “So far as I can tell that kind of sound effects aren't likely to be all that uncommon around here with the way those folks in the settlement were carrying on," The Mountain Man stood so still he was hard to see, but as a bit of darkness in front of more darkness. "I'm not going to keep arguing with you. We'll be along to get you out of whatever trouble you get into presently." The Mountain Man then set about trussing the men to opposite ends of the portcullis with their shirts, making sure they were out of reach of the winch.
The argument between the Mountain Man and Alpha-Woman ended with them further dividing forces. While the Mountain Man trussed up the guards, Alpha-Woman burst through the front door of the temple with her confiscated automatic rifle in hand. She saw a carpeted, 30-foot long, 10-foot wide entry hall that led to a large, well-lit chamber that appeared to be the chapel proper. And an inhabited one. Between her and the chapel were two other ways to go. Just before the chapel was a door on her right. Immediately to her left was a short hallway leading to a ladder going up and -- just before the ladder -- another side door.
Alpha-Woman hesitated, deciding where to go, when she saw a gunman holding a revolver to either side of the entrance to the chapel. Alpha-Woman opened fire, shooting one of the men and dropping him. Alpha-Woman dodged a return shot and sprayed more bullets into the chapel, only winging the other gunmen. Then she went left down the side hall, skipped the door, and went up the ladder.
Back out in the garden, Captain Liberty snapped out of freezing up. How could I have frozen in combat like a coward? He thought angrily. I must regain my honor. Hearing more gunfire coming from the temple, he decided to sprint in that direction.
Back at the watch tower, it was all down to the Daoist now. In other circumstances, he might have fled from this incredibly talented – or extremely lucky -- killer, but he would not leave his new companions in their current state. All he could do was to press the attack and try to take down this foe, who seemed like a crazed ninja-assassin before he ended up as another one of his victims.
The gunman tried to take quick aim and said, "I don't know where you came from, kitty, but I've shot big animals before..."
But before he could get off his shot the Daoist makes his move, lunged -- and missed. At least his lunge threw off the gunman's aim and made him miss too. The Daoist danced around his fallen comrades, being careful not to rake them with his claws, while he continued to throw off his foe's aim.
Meanwhile, Captain Liberty ducked under the low portcullis and helped the Mountain Man truss up the last of the two guards. Captain Liberty made it clear that he planned to go into the temple and the Mountain Man, with a sense of deja vu, began to share his explanation for why he should not. Or at least he tried to over the din coming from inside the temple.
Alpha-Woman, for her part, was hiding in an empty upstairs room, for the moment safe from bad guys. She had moved a desk in front of a door to barricade herself in and watched the trap door on the floor closely.
Back at the west watch tower, Sewer Rat had been training the spotlight on the east tower and trying to blind the gunman fighting the mountain lion. Having only succeeded in illuminating the battle better, he raced down the ladder and to the east tower.
In the east tower, the Daoist kept up the fight, as he saw no other good options. It continued until Sewer Rat popped his head up from under the trap door leading into the watchtower.
"Where are all these people coming from?" the Lone Gunman cried.
The Daoist pounced again, but could not land a claw on his foe without putting himself right in the path of that gun barrel. Again, he barely dodges a bullet. The Lone Gunman was about to fire again when nothing happened. His magazine was either empty or had jammed. Suddenly looking scared, the Lone Gunman jumped out of the side of the watchtower into the pond below before anyone could stop him.
The Mountain Man cut his debate with Captain Liberty short and turned at the sound of the Lone Gunman landing in the pond. By the light from the west tower, he was able to keep track of only one moving hero…and a lion? He rushed out in the darkness to see if he could help.
Sewer Rat climbed down the ladder to get out of the way. He did not know much about what happened after fighting bad-guys, as he usually let the police handle that. While crossing the garden to the temple, he crossed the Mountain Man’s path, heading in the opposite direction. The Mountain Man called over to him and told him not to go in yet.
Once he reached the top of the watchtower, the Mountain Man found the Daoist standing alone over their unconscious companions. Having transformed back into his human form, the Daoist looked over his fallen companions, judged who was hurt worst, and helping that person – it was Silver Scorpion -- first. He ripped off pieces of his robe to staunch the bleeding he could. The Mountain Man said nothing to him, but picked up one of the unconscious bodies – Dice’s -- and shimmied back down the ladder to the ground with his burden.
Captain liberty and Sewer Rat stood outside the temple, quietly debating whether they should go in without the others. The silence of the courtyard was broken minutes later by the echoes of gunfire seemingly coming from the second floor of the temple.
Minutes passed. The Daoist had, by now, dressed everyone’s wounds. Luckily everyone were fast clotters. As far as he and the Mountain Man could tell, it was safe to move everyone out of the tower and down to the gardens where everyone could be hidden.
"Daoist, they'll be out for a while,” the Mountain Man said. “Let's take them with us until we can find a safe place to conceal them." With that, the Mountain Man began carrying his unconscious fellows one-by-one towards the temple entrance.
The Daoist nodded his agreement and aided his large friend in carrying the fallen heroes to safety.
The Mountain Man and the Daoist had little trouble moving their fallen comrades across the gardens. The Mountain Man slung Dice and Gandor over each shoulder, while the Daoist held Silver Scorpion more gingerly. After crossing the bridge over the moat, the three unconscious heroes were laid on the courtyard ground well off to the side of the front doors. It had been almost 10 minutes since Alpha-Woman went in when the Mountain Man, the Daoist, Sewer Rat, and Captain Liberty agreed -- with few words needing to be said between them -- to risk going ahead with the plan of rescuing the missing G-Men and, quite possibly, also Alpha-Woman. These men looked to each other one last time, observing the looks of resolution and determination on each other's faces. Each man nodded his assent as Captain Liberty threw open the doors to the temple.
The layout was not that of a traditional church, though there appeared to be a chapel at the end of the long and fairly crowded entry hall. At the far end, standing by an open side door and blocking their way to the chapel, were three guys dressed like urban mobsters holding semi-automatic rifles. In the side hall to their left was a rural-type with a truncheon in his hand. Another one was coming down a ladder behind him from the upper level. Their entrance was certainly noticed and their opponents were all at least 20 feet away in either direction.
The Daoist assumed the form of a mountain lion once again and pounced on the apparently rather capable guard, hoping to catch him unaware.
Dice Morgan and the Daiost had the lone gunmen cornered in the east tower. The gunmen seemed so despondent over shooting Silver Scorpion that he might have surrendered. When they both moved to attack him, however, the man snapped back into action. He blocked Dice’s attempt to stiff-arm the guy in the chest and then tried to bring his own rifle up to shoot. The Daoist, though intimidating in mountain lion form, could not get into close quarters with Dice stepping in the way. The three-way jostling for room in the cramped interior soon ended with this incredibly lethal killer -- with two notches on his belt already – managing to raise his gun between himself and Dice and firing a bullet that grazed Dice's temple and knocked him unconscious. Dice fell onto the mound of fallen heroes.
"So far, there have only been a few gunshots,” the Mountain Man was saying, just as the shot that felled Dice rang in the distance. “So far as I can tell that kind of sound effects aren't likely to be all that uncommon around here with the way those folks in the settlement were carrying on," The Mountain Man stood so still he was hard to see, but as a bit of darkness in front of more darkness. "I'm not going to keep arguing with you. We'll be along to get you out of whatever trouble you get into presently." The Mountain Man then set about trussing the men to opposite ends of the portcullis with their shirts, making sure they were out of reach of the winch.
The argument between the Mountain Man and Alpha-Woman ended with them further dividing forces. While the Mountain Man trussed up the guards, Alpha-Woman burst through the front door of the temple with her confiscated automatic rifle in hand. She saw a carpeted, 30-foot long, 10-foot wide entry hall that led to a large, well-lit chamber that appeared to be the chapel proper. And an inhabited one. Between her and the chapel were two other ways to go. Just before the chapel was a door on her right. Immediately to her left was a short hallway leading to a ladder going up and -- just before the ladder -- another side door.
Alpha-Woman hesitated, deciding where to go, when she saw a gunman holding a revolver to either side of the entrance to the chapel. Alpha-Woman opened fire, shooting one of the men and dropping him. Alpha-Woman dodged a return shot and sprayed more bullets into the chapel, only winging the other gunmen. Then she went left down the side hall, skipped the door, and went up the ladder.
Back out in the garden, Captain Liberty snapped out of freezing up. How could I have frozen in combat like a coward? He thought angrily. I must regain my honor. Hearing more gunfire coming from the temple, he decided to sprint in that direction.
Back at the watch tower, it was all down to the Daoist now. In other circumstances, he might have fled from this incredibly talented – or extremely lucky -- killer, but he would not leave his new companions in their current state. All he could do was to press the attack and try to take down this foe, who seemed like a crazed ninja-assassin before he ended up as another one of his victims.
The gunman tried to take quick aim and said, "I don't know where you came from, kitty, but I've shot big animals before..."
But before he could get off his shot the Daoist makes his move, lunged -- and missed. At least his lunge threw off the gunman's aim and made him miss too. The Daoist danced around his fallen comrades, being careful not to rake them with his claws, while he continued to throw off his foe's aim.
Meanwhile, Captain Liberty ducked under the low portcullis and helped the Mountain Man truss up the last of the two guards. Captain Liberty made it clear that he planned to go into the temple and the Mountain Man, with a sense of deja vu, began to share his explanation for why he should not. Or at least he tried to over the din coming from inside the temple.
Alpha-Woman, for her part, was hiding in an empty upstairs room, for the moment safe from bad guys. She had moved a desk in front of a door to barricade herself in and watched the trap door on the floor closely.
Back at the west watch tower, Sewer Rat had been training the spotlight on the east tower and trying to blind the gunman fighting the mountain lion. Having only succeeded in illuminating the battle better, he raced down the ladder and to the east tower.
In the east tower, the Daoist kept up the fight, as he saw no other good options. It continued until Sewer Rat popped his head up from under the trap door leading into the watchtower.
"Where are all these people coming from?" the Lone Gunman cried.
The Daoist pounced again, but could not land a claw on his foe without putting himself right in the path of that gun barrel. Again, he barely dodges a bullet. The Lone Gunman was about to fire again when nothing happened. His magazine was either empty or had jammed. Suddenly looking scared, the Lone Gunman jumped out of the side of the watchtower into the pond below before anyone could stop him.
The Mountain Man cut his debate with Captain Liberty short and turned at the sound of the Lone Gunman landing in the pond. By the light from the west tower, he was able to keep track of only one moving hero…and a lion? He rushed out in the darkness to see if he could help.
Sewer Rat climbed down the ladder to get out of the way. He did not know much about what happened after fighting bad-guys, as he usually let the police handle that. While crossing the garden to the temple, he crossed the Mountain Man’s path, heading in the opposite direction. The Mountain Man called over to him and told him not to go in yet.
Once he reached the top of the watchtower, the Mountain Man found the Daoist standing alone over their unconscious companions. Having transformed back into his human form, the Daoist looked over his fallen companions, judged who was hurt worst, and helping that person – it was Silver Scorpion -- first. He ripped off pieces of his robe to staunch the bleeding he could. The Mountain Man said nothing to him, but picked up one of the unconscious bodies – Dice’s -- and shimmied back down the ladder to the ground with his burden.
Captain liberty and Sewer Rat stood outside the temple, quietly debating whether they should go in without the others. The silence of the courtyard was broken minutes later by the echoes of gunfire seemingly coming from the second floor of the temple.
Minutes passed. The Daoist had, by now, dressed everyone’s wounds. Luckily everyone were fast clotters. As far as he and the Mountain Man could tell, it was safe to move everyone out of the tower and down to the gardens where everyone could be hidden.
"Daoist, they'll be out for a while,” the Mountain Man said. “Let's take them with us until we can find a safe place to conceal them." With that, the Mountain Man began carrying his unconscious fellows one-by-one towards the temple entrance.
The Daoist nodded his agreement and aided his large friend in carrying the fallen heroes to safety.
The Mountain Man and the Daoist had little trouble moving their fallen comrades across the gardens. The Mountain Man slung Dice and Gandor over each shoulder, while the Daoist held Silver Scorpion more gingerly. After crossing the bridge over the moat, the three unconscious heroes were laid on the courtyard ground well off to the side of the front doors. It had been almost 10 minutes since Alpha-Woman went in when the Mountain Man, the Daoist, Sewer Rat, and Captain Liberty agreed -- with few words needing to be said between them -- to risk going ahead with the plan of rescuing the missing G-Men and, quite possibly, also Alpha-Woman. These men looked to each other one last time, observing the looks of resolution and determination on each other's faces. Each man nodded his assent as Captain Liberty threw open the doors to the temple.
The layout was not that of a traditional church, though there appeared to be a chapel at the end of the long and fairly crowded entry hall. At the far end, standing by an open side door and blocking their way to the chapel, were three guys dressed like urban mobsters holding semi-automatic rifles. In the side hall to their left was a rural-type with a truncheon in his hand. Another one was coming down a ladder behind him from the upper level. Their entrance was certainly noticed and their opponents were all at least 20 feet away in either direction.
Wednesday, February 15, 2012
Rpol Hideouts & Hoodlums Campaign - pt. 18
[Up to this point, the campaign had run pretty smoothly. But this is where thinks started to go downhill for awhile, as the Heroes met a string of unlucky dice rolls and the Lone Gunman...]
Dice Morgan had done a lot of knife throwing before, but had never hit a man from 60 feet, in the dark, from below, with a wooden watchtower giving the man soft cover. Tonight was no exception. The knife flew through the air and buried its blade in the side of the watchtower. After that, finally taking stock of the situation, he realized he had been standing smack dab out in the open for about two minutes, where anybody could shoot at him. After throwing the knife, he scrambled to the tree to his right for cover, leaving Captain Liberty alone and exposed in the middle of the gardens.
Silver Scorpion unhesitatingly flew into her gun-toting assailant, aiming a fist at his jaw. But her foe backed away, backing into the far side of the watchtower.
Hearing the events at the opposite tower, Sewer Rat knew that his ally was in trouble. "Turn the light back on," he told the Chinaman.
The Daoist flipped on the light's switch and then hurried down the ladder.
Sewer Rat then lunged for the searchlight and pivoted it over so it would shine on the far tower just in time to illuminate Silver Scorpion's battle.
There was a bright flash of light from the far tower that blinded the gunman facing Silver Scorpion. "Stay back! Don't make me shoot!" he warned, but it was too late. Even blind, he could not miss Silver Scorpion at that range. She took a bullet before her punch could connect, clutched her thigh where it struck, and felt her strength and her consciousness slip away.
Alpha-Woman sprinted to the gate before the guards could think to lower it again. She rolled under the gate and came out of her roll in close quarters with the guards -- two scruffy-men in leather jackets and carrying Browning rifles.
"Well, who's this here?" one of them said as they both used their free hands to try and grapple Alpha-Woman. They had unsavory looks in their eyes, betraying that their motives were not purely cooperative. She kept shrugging them off as she rose to her feet, though finally one of them grasped her firmly by the left arm. She answered with a brass knuckle punch to that arm that made him let go.
The Mountain Man snuck up past the last tree and crouched behind a hedge just 20 feet from the gate before sprinting and rolling underneath it. He rose to his feet just as Alpha-Woman had broken the grip of one of her attackers. "We don't team up against a woman where I come from," the Mountain Man said, as he moved into brawling range with one of the attackers.
Alpha-Woman got herself ready to beat up one of these guys if they wanted to fight.
The Daoist, his white robes billowing like a ghost, scurried down one ladder and then took off running towards the tower that the last gun shot came from and made his way up another ladder.
Dice Morgan started running towards the tower he heard the shot come from, ducking his head as he ran to make a smaller target (in case more lead started flying). He made it up the tower as quickly as he could. “Just remember Dicey,” he whispered out loud to reassure himself, “after this the Feds will be off yer’ tail fer’ good. That's what all this is for." At the tower, he clenched his big knife between his teeth and climbed.
Alpha-Woman and the Mountain Man were standing at the back of the 10-foot square stone block building that served as the gatehouse. The building was mainly one big arch with a portcullis hanging in the middle of it, except for two recessions in the back wall; one a tiny booth for someone to sit in out of the rain and the other housing the electric winch for the gate. Past the gatehouse was a 10-foot wide wooden bridge crossing the moat and heading straight up to the doors of the temple. A 6-foot tall bronze statue of a rooster stood in front of the doors.
Alpha-Woman took some swings at the foe she had already punched, easily brushing aside the rifle butt he swung at her, and finally connecting with a haymaker to his chin that sent him into la-la land. The Mountain Man also came out swinging, dodged a rifle butt, and found his opponent had a glass jaw. The way was clear for them to reach the temple.
The Daoist flipped open the trap door and found Gandor the Great and Silver Scorpion lying very still on the watchtower floor. Standing over Silver Scorpion was the man who apparently took both of them down. The man had a short blonde beard and wore a brown leather jacket. He held a Browning automatic rifle in his hand, but had it pointing towards the floor. He was staring at Silver Scorpion and only seemed to be half-aware of the Daoist’s presence as he climbed into the tower. "I didn't mean to kill her," he said. "Never thought I'd be shooting a woman..."
The Daoist could tell, though, that Silver Scorpion was only unconscious.
Dice Morgan also peeked his head into the watchtower after the Daoist cleared the trap door. Dice smirked at the gunman. "It's okay. Ya get used to it," he said.
Meanwhile, Sewer Rat guarded the west tower and Captain Liberty secured the gardens.
Alpha-Woman made her way to the temple door and opened it.
"Psst! Where are you going?” the Mountain Man hissed after her. “We need to go in there together, as a group! All you'll accomplish is letting them know we're coming!"
The Mountain Man retrieved one of the unconscious guards' Brownings and strapped his own hunting rifle on his back. He stood guard in the gatehouse waiting for the rest of the group to catch up.
Alpha-Woman also paused to grab a rifle. "Well, I've been waiting, and the last time I saw people they were attacking the tower guards. I am assuming by now some people are critically hit or knocked out." She pauses momentarily, "They can come when they want to come; I am going now."
"I don't think they aren't coming because they don't want to,” the Mountain Man countered. “Your impatience is like that of the stream running down the mountainside."
"I think we have made enough noise out here to alert anyone or any creature in that building to know that we are coming," Alpha-Woman said with a defiant smirk and a hand on her hip. "So, by not coming in we are giving them even more time to get ready for us."
Dice Morgan had done a lot of knife throwing before, but had never hit a man from 60 feet, in the dark, from below, with a wooden watchtower giving the man soft cover. Tonight was no exception. The knife flew through the air and buried its blade in the side of the watchtower. After that, finally taking stock of the situation, he realized he had been standing smack dab out in the open for about two minutes, where anybody could shoot at him. After throwing the knife, he scrambled to the tree to his right for cover, leaving Captain Liberty alone and exposed in the middle of the gardens.
Silver Scorpion unhesitatingly flew into her gun-toting assailant, aiming a fist at his jaw. But her foe backed away, backing into the far side of the watchtower.
Hearing the events at the opposite tower, Sewer Rat knew that his ally was in trouble. "Turn the light back on," he told the Chinaman.
The Daoist flipped on the light's switch and then hurried down the ladder.
Sewer Rat then lunged for the searchlight and pivoted it over so it would shine on the far tower just in time to illuminate Silver Scorpion's battle.
There was a bright flash of light from the far tower that blinded the gunman facing Silver Scorpion. "Stay back! Don't make me shoot!" he warned, but it was too late. Even blind, he could not miss Silver Scorpion at that range. She took a bullet before her punch could connect, clutched her thigh where it struck, and felt her strength and her consciousness slip away.
Alpha-Woman sprinted to the gate before the guards could think to lower it again. She rolled under the gate and came out of her roll in close quarters with the guards -- two scruffy-men in leather jackets and carrying Browning rifles.
"Well, who's this here?" one of them said as they both used their free hands to try and grapple Alpha-Woman. They had unsavory looks in their eyes, betraying that their motives were not purely cooperative. She kept shrugging them off as she rose to her feet, though finally one of them grasped her firmly by the left arm. She answered with a brass knuckle punch to that arm that made him let go.
The Mountain Man snuck up past the last tree and crouched behind a hedge just 20 feet from the gate before sprinting and rolling underneath it. He rose to his feet just as Alpha-Woman had broken the grip of one of her attackers. "We don't team up against a woman where I come from," the Mountain Man said, as he moved into brawling range with one of the attackers.
Alpha-Woman got herself ready to beat up one of these guys if they wanted to fight.
The Daoist, his white robes billowing like a ghost, scurried down one ladder and then took off running towards the tower that the last gun shot came from and made his way up another ladder.
Dice Morgan started running towards the tower he heard the shot come from, ducking his head as he ran to make a smaller target (in case more lead started flying). He made it up the tower as quickly as he could. “Just remember Dicey,” he whispered out loud to reassure himself, “after this the Feds will be off yer’ tail fer’ good. That's what all this is for." At the tower, he clenched his big knife between his teeth and climbed.
Alpha-Woman and the Mountain Man were standing at the back of the 10-foot square stone block building that served as the gatehouse. The building was mainly one big arch with a portcullis hanging in the middle of it, except for two recessions in the back wall; one a tiny booth for someone to sit in out of the rain and the other housing the electric winch for the gate. Past the gatehouse was a 10-foot wide wooden bridge crossing the moat and heading straight up to the doors of the temple. A 6-foot tall bronze statue of a rooster stood in front of the doors.
Alpha-Woman took some swings at the foe she had already punched, easily brushing aside the rifle butt he swung at her, and finally connecting with a haymaker to his chin that sent him into la-la land. The Mountain Man also came out swinging, dodged a rifle butt, and found his opponent had a glass jaw. The way was clear for them to reach the temple.
The Daoist flipped open the trap door and found Gandor the Great and Silver Scorpion lying very still on the watchtower floor. Standing over Silver Scorpion was the man who apparently took both of them down. The man had a short blonde beard and wore a brown leather jacket. He held a Browning automatic rifle in his hand, but had it pointing towards the floor. He was staring at Silver Scorpion and only seemed to be half-aware of the Daoist’s presence as he climbed into the tower. "I didn't mean to kill her," he said. "Never thought I'd be shooting a woman..."
The Daoist could tell, though, that Silver Scorpion was only unconscious.
Dice Morgan also peeked his head into the watchtower after the Daoist cleared the trap door. Dice smirked at the gunman. "It's okay. Ya get used to it," he said.
Meanwhile, Sewer Rat guarded the west tower and Captain Liberty secured the gardens.
Alpha-Woman made her way to the temple door and opened it.
"Psst! Where are you going?” the Mountain Man hissed after her. “We need to go in there together, as a group! All you'll accomplish is letting them know we're coming!"
The Mountain Man retrieved one of the unconscious guards' Brownings and strapped his own hunting rifle on his back. He stood guard in the gatehouse waiting for the rest of the group to catch up.
Alpha-Woman also paused to grab a rifle. "Well, I've been waiting, and the last time I saw people they were attacking the tower guards. I am assuming by now some people are critically hit or knocked out." She pauses momentarily, "They can come when they want to come; I am going now."
"I don't think they aren't coming because they don't want to,” the Mountain Man countered. “Your impatience is like that of the stream running down the mountainside."
"I think we have made enough noise out here to alert anyone or any creature in that building to know that we are coming," Alpha-Woman said with a defiant smirk and a hand on her hip. "So, by not coming in we are giving them even more time to get ready for us."
Friday, February 10, 2012
Castle Greyhawk: the Graphic Novel - page 1
The focus of this blog has always been all about me and my writing. But today, that all changes.
No, I take that back. It's still about my writing. But this time, for the first time, it's about a new and exciting collaboration! "Mortellan", famous for his W.O.G. comic strip and Greyhawkery blog, has agreed to a daring experiment -- to try and adapt my "Castle Greyhawk" novella (found here) to comic book form, one page at a time.
And, to start the project off, we began with a brand new bridging scene between "Castle Greyhawk" and its prequel, "Ehlissa's Story". Enjoy!
[Update: New version has backgrounds!]
No, I take that back. It's still about my writing. But this time, for the first time, it's about a new and exciting collaboration! "Mortellan", famous for his W.O.G. comic strip and Greyhawkery blog, has agreed to a daring experiment -- to try and adapt my "Castle Greyhawk" novella (found here) to comic book form, one page at a time.
And, to start the project off, we began with a brand new bridging scene between "Castle Greyhawk" and its prequel, "Ehlissa's Story". Enjoy!
[Update: New version has backgrounds!]
Sunday, February 5, 2012
Rpol Hideouts & Hoodlums Campaign - pt. 17
At the south end of the gardens, the Daoist was almost up to the level of the men in the watchtower and was able to hear them speak.
"Who are those bozos?" one of them asked. "And what's that guy yelling?"
"Who cares?" asked another. "They're dead anyway." And with that, the Daoist heard a rifle shot.
All saw the flash of the muzzle as a bullet whizzed past Dice Morgan, followed by the crack of the rifle shot.
The Daoist could not clamber up to the platform fast enough to stop the rifle from being fired, but he vaulted over the side right afterwards and did a fearsome impersonation of a kill-crazed orangutan. He saw only two guards, each holding Browning automatic rifles. He saw which one held the smoking rifle, but before that man could bring his rifle to bear, a trap door opened below his feet and threw him off-balance. Sewer Rat poked his head out from underneath it.
"For the love of Mike!" the other gunman said as he did bring his rifle to bear on the Daoist and fired at point blank range. The Daoist lunged to the side and was only grazed by the bullet.
At the sound of gunfire, the searchlight in the east tower also blazed to life. But Capt. Liberty was aiming at the west tower and let his rooster fly. Sadly, he misjudged the aerodynamics of half-dead 40-lb. roosters and his improvised weapon fell short, landing right in front of the watchtower with a sickening thud.
Dice Morgan crumpled to the ground and uttered in his best Edward G. Robinson voice, “Mother of Mercy. Is this the end of Dice?" Then he opened his eyes and realized that he was not hit. "Oh. Uhhh... guess not."
Back in the west watchtower, the Daoist swungs a long hairy arm at the gunman who shot at him, grabbed him, and rent his foe, but the Minnesotan in his grip has the blood of Vikings in his veins and seemed not licked yet.
Sewer Rat climbed out of the trapdoor, rose to his feet, and swung a lead pipe at the other gunman, delivering a solid blow to his foe's shoulder.
Alpha-Woman was thinking, Man, these watch towers are in the opposite direction we need to be going. She snuck up much closer to the fortress-like temple, using the trees for cover as she passed the pond and came within 30 feet of the gatehouse in the north end of the fence. She could see two men moving back and forth behind the gate, but it was too dark to make out anything else from there.
The Mountain Man pulled his own rifle off his shoulder and took aim at the far spotlight, hoping to knock it out before it could spot anyone. His aim was hasty, but his shot was true, striking the east spotlight and shattering the glass. The light went out as fast as it had lit up.
Dice scampered to his feet and did the only thing he could really do at that point. Well, not really, but what felt right doing. He grabbed a dead fowl and hefted it like the Captain. "Heh. Just like ‘dat time in Vegas wit' ‘dat crazy albino Russian an' the bathtub vodka." Dice had once seen one of those college types doing track & field and this thing called the hammer toss. Using the same technique, you now picked spun the dying rooster around and around before releasing. The 30+ lb. rooster spun end over end, but the arc of its flight only cleared 40 feet, coming up about 20 feet short of the west tower.
The orangutan-Daoist shrieked in the face of the gunmen, wanting to give him a chance to flee with no further violence, before clubbing him in the face if he insisted on continuing the fight.
Silver Scorpion sighed with relief, having taken a moment’s breather after finishing off that rooster. Looking up and seeing the other Heroes at the west tower, Silver Scorpion sprinted for the east tower instead, leaping up as high as she was able to speed her ascent. Her running high jump, indeed, surprised everyone as she vaulted 18 feet into the air, allowing her to grab the ledge of the platform.
Captain Liberty looked around for more big things to throw and picked up another rooster, but had not decided yet who to throw it at.
Up in the west tower, the two watchmen had a choice between a crazy guy with a lead pipe and a crazier orangutan and opted for jumping off the platform instead. They both leapt out the southeast corner of the tower, plunging into the pond below. The Daoist relaxed back to his human form long enough to advice Sewer Rat to switch off the searchlight, which he did.
Alpha-Woman thought about how to get the guys out of her way to make her entrance. She threw a foot-long stick and then ran away from where she threw it, hoping they would come out to investigate where it came from so she could sneak behind them. And avoid having a battle, like all her ‘comrades’ busy with the tower guards.
With a mighty heave, Silver Scorpion pulled herself up, but refrained from jumping into the tower just yet. She crouched on the outside ledge, waiting to see if one of the guards would lean out to investigate, or at least move around enough inside for her to hear.
Silver Scorpion heard a knock and a familiar voice coming from underneath the platform saying, "Hey, let me up!"
It sounded like a trapdoor was opened and someone climbed up a ladder into the watchtower and brushed off his coat.
"Who are you?" someone else says. "What's going on out there?"
"Ah," Gandor the Great said, "I'm afraid tonight's special entertainment for the boys on watch has somewhat gone awry. We're having technical difficulties with some of our equipment."
"It sounded like gunshots," said another man.
"Gunpowder," Gandor said. "It was to be a surprise pyrotechnic display. A fireworks show. A clumsy assistant exploded some. I'm afraid your searchlight was damaged by some flying debris. Anyway, we're alerting you and your fellows in the other tower so you won't be alarmed."
"Well...that sounds all right to me..." said the first guard.
"Don't listen to him!" said the second guard. "That didn't sound like any fireworks I've ever seen. They were gunshots. And what about that shouting and the loud splash from the other tower? And I've never seen you before. You'd better come up with better answers, Mister, or..."
Silver Scorpion then heard a scuffle ensue.
Alpha-Woman's stratagem mostly failed. The two guards at the gate started to raise the portcullis, argued about it, and then stopped the electric winch with only three feet of clearance off the ground. There was space for her to charge and roll under the gate, but doing so unnoticed would be practically impossible. But she tried it anyway.
Silver Scorpion peeked into the watchtower and saw Gandor the Great go down from a rifle butt to the head. She grabbed the nearer of the two guards, pulled him over the side of the tower, and watched him fall to the ground unconscious. But when she looked back, she saw the man who took down Gandor swinging his rifle around towards her.
The Mountain Man started moving through the shadows towards the gate, keeping his gun ready.
"Nuts to this namby-pamby good guy jazz!" Dice yelled as he drew a throwing knife from his boot and took aim at the gunman menacing Silver Scorpion.
"Who are those bozos?" one of them asked. "And what's that guy yelling?"
"Who cares?" asked another. "They're dead anyway." And with that, the Daoist heard a rifle shot.
All saw the flash of the muzzle as a bullet whizzed past Dice Morgan, followed by the crack of the rifle shot.
The Daoist could not clamber up to the platform fast enough to stop the rifle from being fired, but he vaulted over the side right afterwards and did a fearsome impersonation of a kill-crazed orangutan. He saw only two guards, each holding Browning automatic rifles. He saw which one held the smoking rifle, but before that man could bring his rifle to bear, a trap door opened below his feet and threw him off-balance. Sewer Rat poked his head out from underneath it.
"For the love of Mike!" the other gunman said as he did bring his rifle to bear on the Daoist and fired at point blank range. The Daoist lunged to the side and was only grazed by the bullet.
At the sound of gunfire, the searchlight in the east tower also blazed to life. But Capt. Liberty was aiming at the west tower and let his rooster fly. Sadly, he misjudged the aerodynamics of half-dead 40-lb. roosters and his improvised weapon fell short, landing right in front of the watchtower with a sickening thud.
Dice Morgan crumpled to the ground and uttered in his best Edward G. Robinson voice, “Mother of Mercy. Is this the end of Dice?" Then he opened his eyes and realized that he was not hit. "Oh. Uhhh... guess not."
Back in the west watchtower, the Daoist swungs a long hairy arm at the gunman who shot at him, grabbed him, and rent his foe, but the Minnesotan in his grip has the blood of Vikings in his veins and seemed not licked yet.
Sewer Rat climbed out of the trapdoor, rose to his feet, and swung a lead pipe at the other gunman, delivering a solid blow to his foe's shoulder.
Alpha-Woman was thinking, Man, these watch towers are in the opposite direction we need to be going. She snuck up much closer to the fortress-like temple, using the trees for cover as she passed the pond and came within 30 feet of the gatehouse in the north end of the fence. She could see two men moving back and forth behind the gate, but it was too dark to make out anything else from there.
The Mountain Man pulled his own rifle off his shoulder and took aim at the far spotlight, hoping to knock it out before it could spot anyone. His aim was hasty, but his shot was true, striking the east spotlight and shattering the glass. The light went out as fast as it had lit up.
Dice scampered to his feet and did the only thing he could really do at that point. Well, not really, but what felt right doing. He grabbed a dead fowl and hefted it like the Captain. "Heh. Just like ‘dat time in Vegas wit' ‘dat crazy albino Russian an' the bathtub vodka." Dice had once seen one of those college types doing track & field and this thing called the hammer toss. Using the same technique, you now picked spun the dying rooster around and around before releasing. The 30+ lb. rooster spun end over end, but the arc of its flight only cleared 40 feet, coming up about 20 feet short of the west tower.
The orangutan-Daoist shrieked in the face of the gunmen, wanting to give him a chance to flee with no further violence, before clubbing him in the face if he insisted on continuing the fight.
Silver Scorpion sighed with relief, having taken a moment’s breather after finishing off that rooster. Looking up and seeing the other Heroes at the west tower, Silver Scorpion sprinted for the east tower instead, leaping up as high as she was able to speed her ascent. Her running high jump, indeed, surprised everyone as she vaulted 18 feet into the air, allowing her to grab the ledge of the platform.
Captain Liberty looked around for more big things to throw and picked up another rooster, but had not decided yet who to throw it at.
Up in the west tower, the two watchmen had a choice between a crazy guy with a lead pipe and a crazier orangutan and opted for jumping off the platform instead. They both leapt out the southeast corner of the tower, plunging into the pond below. The Daoist relaxed back to his human form long enough to advice Sewer Rat to switch off the searchlight, which he did.
Alpha-Woman thought about how to get the guys out of her way to make her entrance. She threw a foot-long stick and then ran away from where she threw it, hoping they would come out to investigate where it came from so she could sneak behind them. And avoid having a battle, like all her ‘comrades’ busy with the tower guards.
With a mighty heave, Silver Scorpion pulled herself up, but refrained from jumping into the tower just yet. She crouched on the outside ledge, waiting to see if one of the guards would lean out to investigate, or at least move around enough inside for her to hear.
Silver Scorpion heard a knock and a familiar voice coming from underneath the platform saying, "Hey, let me up!"
It sounded like a trapdoor was opened and someone climbed up a ladder into the watchtower and brushed off his coat.
"Who are you?" someone else says. "What's going on out there?"
"Ah," Gandor the Great said, "I'm afraid tonight's special entertainment for the boys on watch has somewhat gone awry. We're having technical difficulties with some of our equipment."
"It sounded like gunshots," said another man.
"Gunpowder," Gandor said. "It was to be a surprise pyrotechnic display. A fireworks show. A clumsy assistant exploded some. I'm afraid your searchlight was damaged by some flying debris. Anyway, we're alerting you and your fellows in the other tower so you won't be alarmed."
"Well...that sounds all right to me..." said the first guard.
"Don't listen to him!" said the second guard. "That didn't sound like any fireworks I've ever seen. They were gunshots. And what about that shouting and the loud splash from the other tower? And I've never seen you before. You'd better come up with better answers, Mister, or..."
Silver Scorpion then heard a scuffle ensue.
Alpha-Woman's stratagem mostly failed. The two guards at the gate started to raise the portcullis, argued about it, and then stopped the electric winch with only three feet of clearance off the ground. There was space for her to charge and roll under the gate, but doing so unnoticed would be practically impossible. But she tried it anyway.
Silver Scorpion peeked into the watchtower and saw Gandor the Great go down from a rifle butt to the head. She grabbed the nearer of the two guards, pulled him over the side of the tower, and watched him fall to the ground unconscious. But when she looked back, she saw the man who took down Gandor swinging his rifle around towards her.
The Mountain Man started moving through the shadows towards the gate, keeping his gun ready.
"Nuts to this namby-pamby good guy jazz!" Dice yelled as he drew a throwing knife from his boot and took aim at the gunman menacing Silver Scorpion.
Wednesday, February 1, 2012
Rpol Hideouts & Hoodlums Campaign - pt. 16
The Daoist transformed himself from a snake into a snarling warthog and charged forward to meet the new roosters head on.
Captain Liberty turned to face the new roosters, his blue cape flowing in the wind, behind him. He glowed with the power of the very essence of the liberty of the United States of America and decided to charge one of the next two foul fowls that were capriciously coming for a catastrophic counterattack.
And the Mountain Man charged too. The three of them –Captain Liberty, the Mountain Man, and the Daoist in warthog form -- charged the two new roosters that were in turn advancing on them. But before the two sides could join in combat, one of the roosters paused, arching its head back, and let out a terribly loud crowing.
The Mountain Man answered that call with a slash of his hatchet burying it in the rooster's neck. Captain Liberty crashed into the other rooster with terrific force, literally crushing it flat on the ground. By the time the Daiost reached the scene, he found both roosters were out of the fight already.
Suddenly, the searchlight from the western tower blazed to life and its beam swept across the gardens. The beam crossed the Mountain Man's path, illuminating for a moment the top of his head.
Alpha-Woman tried to avoid the beam, sticking to the shadows as she ran closer to the fortress-like temple and forgot the big ugly roosters that pissed her off.
The Mountain Man ducked reflexively, using the hatchet in his right hand to hook one rooster corpse and grabbing the second out from under Captain Liberty. Dragging both, The Mountain Man dove under a hedge and out of sight from the searchlight. He hoped others would match his foresight.
Silver Scorpion, still under threat by a living rooster, decided her best option was to take it down as fast as possible. She unleashed another kick at the beast's neck. The dance continued between her and the super rooster in the middle of the gardens. It lunged at her and she dodged, but then it ducked from another of her roundhouse kicks. They continued to attack and dodge back and forth, moving around each other, looking for an opening. Silver was embarrassed to think this big rooster had got to be the toughest opponent she'd ever fought!
Under the east tower, Gandor the Great continued throwing pebbles at the underside of the platform above him, distracting the guards above who could not figure out what that noise was. "Wait, where are you going?" he whispered to Sewer Rat, but it was too late as the fur-clad Hero waded into the pond.
Sewer Rat soon climbed out of the moat. Back in the sewers, falling into the water often meant severe injury or illness, but in clean water he could manage well enough. And who says rats drown, he thought to himself. He was glad his team managed to distract the guard, who was now sweeping his searchlight inside instead of out. Quietly, Sewer Rat shimmied up the leg of the tower, prepared to climb inside and give the guard a quick shove back into the moat.
Though he did not know it, the Daoist had the same idea as Sewer Rat. He charged over to the guard tower, transformed himself into an orangutan and scaled his way up to where he could incapacitate the guards.
Dice Morgan had not decided what to do yet. It looked like Silver Scorpion needed help, but it looked like hiding from that searchlight was a good idea too. Captain Liberty, more prone to action, ran back to lend a hand, but got a wing in the face instead of landing a punch.
The searchlight continued to sweep the gardens, this time catching the upper half of Captain Liberty in its beam and freezing there, nearly blinding him. But it did give him some very dramatic lighting, especially with his cape billowing behind him.
Alpha-Woman stopped running, intent now on not moving out of her dark, shadowy area. She hated those roosters and could not believe she could not kill one even one. She just crossed her arms in the dark corner, hoping those blinding lights would just go away. Then she noticed Captain Liberty getting shined on and thought, Oh crap, now the S@#% just hit the fan!
Dice Morgan walked over and stood with the Captain in the spotlight. He waved up at the guy in the tower. "Hey! Da boys from ‘da hotel sent us on down. Didn't that chick radio ya? What's wit' ‘da rooster kill squad?" He actually hoped to keep the guy distracted until the Daoist could reach him or Gandor could work some magic.
"Are you crazy, why did you yell??" Alpha-Woman yelled at Dice from the nearby shadows, unaware of his reasoning. She tightened up her brass knuckles and hoped nobody heard him – or her -- yelling.
The Mountain Man stayed under cover but readied himself to charge out and attack any guards that appeared from the building. That or if he had to kill more roosters.
The Daoist continued climbing the tower, hoping to either ambush them, or distract them enough that Sewer Rat can take them by surprise.
Captain Liberty picked up a half-dead rooster and took aim, preparing to use it as an improvised missile weapon against the distant spotlight.
Apparently unnoticed by everyone, Silver Scorpion was still in a death duel with the super rooster. The rooster threw everything it had into one last lunge, but instead of overpowering her, it left itself open for her to plunge her knife into it. The super rooster slumped unconscious against her, but Silver jumped back away from both it and the spotlight that was still too close for comfort.
Captain Liberty turned to face the new roosters, his blue cape flowing in the wind, behind him. He glowed with the power of the very essence of the liberty of the United States of America and decided to charge one of the next two foul fowls that were capriciously coming for a catastrophic counterattack.
And the Mountain Man charged too. The three of them –Captain Liberty, the Mountain Man, and the Daoist in warthog form -- charged the two new roosters that were in turn advancing on them. But before the two sides could join in combat, one of the roosters paused, arching its head back, and let out a terribly loud crowing.
The Mountain Man answered that call with a slash of his hatchet burying it in the rooster's neck. Captain Liberty crashed into the other rooster with terrific force, literally crushing it flat on the ground. By the time the Daiost reached the scene, he found both roosters were out of the fight already.
Suddenly, the searchlight from the western tower blazed to life and its beam swept across the gardens. The beam crossed the Mountain Man's path, illuminating for a moment the top of his head.
Alpha-Woman tried to avoid the beam, sticking to the shadows as she ran closer to the fortress-like temple and forgot the big ugly roosters that pissed her off.
The Mountain Man ducked reflexively, using the hatchet in his right hand to hook one rooster corpse and grabbing the second out from under Captain Liberty. Dragging both, The Mountain Man dove under a hedge and out of sight from the searchlight. He hoped others would match his foresight.
Silver Scorpion, still under threat by a living rooster, decided her best option was to take it down as fast as possible. She unleashed another kick at the beast's neck. The dance continued between her and the super rooster in the middle of the gardens. It lunged at her and she dodged, but then it ducked from another of her roundhouse kicks. They continued to attack and dodge back and forth, moving around each other, looking for an opening. Silver was embarrassed to think this big rooster had got to be the toughest opponent she'd ever fought!
Under the east tower, Gandor the Great continued throwing pebbles at the underside of the platform above him, distracting the guards above who could not figure out what that noise was. "Wait, where are you going?" he whispered to Sewer Rat, but it was too late as the fur-clad Hero waded into the pond.
Sewer Rat soon climbed out of the moat. Back in the sewers, falling into the water often meant severe injury or illness, but in clean water he could manage well enough. And who says rats drown, he thought to himself. He was glad his team managed to distract the guard, who was now sweeping his searchlight inside instead of out. Quietly, Sewer Rat shimmied up the leg of the tower, prepared to climb inside and give the guard a quick shove back into the moat.
Though he did not know it, the Daoist had the same idea as Sewer Rat. He charged over to the guard tower, transformed himself into an orangutan and scaled his way up to where he could incapacitate the guards.
Dice Morgan had not decided what to do yet. It looked like Silver Scorpion needed help, but it looked like hiding from that searchlight was a good idea too. Captain Liberty, more prone to action, ran back to lend a hand, but got a wing in the face instead of landing a punch.
The searchlight continued to sweep the gardens, this time catching the upper half of Captain Liberty in its beam and freezing there, nearly blinding him. But it did give him some very dramatic lighting, especially with his cape billowing behind him.
Alpha-Woman stopped running, intent now on not moving out of her dark, shadowy area. She hated those roosters and could not believe she could not kill one even one. She just crossed her arms in the dark corner, hoping those blinding lights would just go away. Then she noticed Captain Liberty getting shined on and thought, Oh crap, now the S@#% just hit the fan!
Dice Morgan walked over and stood with the Captain in the spotlight. He waved up at the guy in the tower. "Hey! Da boys from ‘da hotel sent us on down. Didn't that chick radio ya? What's wit' ‘da rooster kill squad?" He actually hoped to keep the guy distracted until the Daoist could reach him or Gandor could work some magic.
"Are you crazy, why did you yell??" Alpha-Woman yelled at Dice from the nearby shadows, unaware of his reasoning. She tightened up her brass knuckles and hoped nobody heard him – or her -- yelling.
The Mountain Man stayed under cover but readied himself to charge out and attack any guards that appeared from the building. That or if he had to kill more roosters.
The Daoist continued climbing the tower, hoping to either ambush them, or distract them enough that Sewer Rat can take them by surprise.
Captain Liberty picked up a half-dead rooster and took aim, preparing to use it as an improvised missile weapon against the distant spotlight.
Apparently unnoticed by everyone, Silver Scorpion was still in a death duel with the super rooster. The rooster threw everything it had into one last lunge, but instead of overpowering her, it left itself open for her to plunge her knife into it. The super rooster slumped unconscious against her, but Silver jumped back away from both it and the spotlight that was still too close for comfort.
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